A Fundraiser for Gaza Hopes to Wake Up the Coffee Industry
For 18 months, the coffee industry has remained mostly silent about the ongoing destruction of Gaza. A new fundraiser hopes to raise money—and jolt the industry awake.
Another week of a statewide lockdown in Michigan to fight the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus draws to a close, although it’s becoming genuinely become difficult to differentiate the days.
Has it been a week? Is today Friday? Does the weekend hold any meaning anymore, if it’s exactly the same as the two days that preceded it?
I don’t suppose it matters, it’s just odd.
The past week in the world of coffee has been less turbulent than the one before, mostly because everything is already shut down.
Once again, we’ll begin by taking a look at the latest COVID-19 news.
Coffee shops around the world are now closed, or at the very least restricted to serving take-out, as countries try desperately to stop the spread of the coronavirus (if they were open, people would definitely visit them, even in a lockdown).
Roasters are, in general, considered “essential businesses” which is true but somewhat surprising, although last year Switzerland did decide that coffee was essential to life so perhaps that set a precedent.
So what happened last week?
The Specialty Coffee Association finally cancelled this year’s Expo coffee exhibition, after weeks of indecision and a fair amount of outcry. The event had been scheduled to take place in Portland, Oregon, at the end of next month, but because Oregon’s statewide ban on large gatherings only runs through April 14, the SCA was left in limbo.
According to a statement by the SCA, there was no alternative date to host Expo this year. So instead of postponing as they had done with other similar events elsewhere, they decided to simply cancel and try again next year. Said the statement: “We will be working with the SCA USA Chapter to explore options to hold the final US Coffee Championships of the year at a later date as appropriate. Re:co and Expo will return in April 2021 in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana.”
If you’re interested in some slightly different news, the National Coffee Association’s annual report was released recently, and Daily Coffee News has been looking into it (so has the New York Times, but with much less gusto).
Here are some highlights:
Seven in ten Americans drink coffee at least once a week, which frankly seems low. However, 62% drink coffee daily. Coffee consumption has risen 5% since 2015, but specialty coffee consumption is up 25% over the same period.
Only 20% of Americans take their coffee black. This is frankly astonishing. Big Creamer must be laughing all the way to the cream factory or wherever.
Ownership of a single-cup brewer (presumably that means a pour-over device like a Hario V60) is up 50% over the past five years. 50%! You love to see it.
Read the full story and see all the stats here.
Piero Bambi, honorary president of Italian espresso machine maker La Marzocco, passed away last week at the age of 86 after a long battle with cancer.
Bambi was the son and nephew of La Marzocco’s co-founders, and ran the company for most of his adult life, while also being a principle designer—he designed the iconic Linea espresso machine, for one thing.
While there are worthwhile articles in Sprudge and Daily Coffee News about Bambi, Barista Magazine’s co-founder and editor-in-chief Sarah Allen has written a heartfelt and moving paean to somebody she knew personally.
Funnily enough there’s been a distinct lack of stupid greenwashy coffee stories of late—presumably that’s because companies think it might seem a little, I don’t know, gauche to be pushing their $10,000 investment in water reclamation or whatever when people are dying.
However, I will just leave this headline here: Three Nespresso suppliers used children on their coffee farms, company says.
Nothing new this week, but with the lack of exercise I’ve been getting of late I’m still clinging to the hopes that coffee might help mitigate a high fat and high sugar diet.
Frustration And Loss: How COVID-19 Shutdowns Are Affecting Seattle-Area Cafés by Mark Van Streefkerk
‘Everything Is Uncertain’: Working In Coffee Through COVID-19 by Craig Batory
10 Cats + Coffee Videos You Need Right Now by Liz Clayton
Until next week, drink good coffee, support your local roasters and cafes, and STAY HOME.
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A newsletter about coffee—its culture, politics, and how it connects to the wider world.